On the Block: Rolex "Monoblocco" Chronograph Used in Planning the Real-Life Great Escape

Coming up for auction on Wednesday, November 6 at Bourne End Auctions in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom is a stunning Rolex reference 3525 chronograph in steel with a fascinating backstory. The watch was ordered from Rolex by Pilot Officer Gerald A. D. Imeson of the RAF, while he was a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III. Imeson was involved in the efforts to escape from the prison that inspired the movie The Great Escape starring Steve McQueen and this was his watch.

Coming up for auction on Wednesday, November 6 at Bourne End Auctions in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom is a stunning Rolex reference 3525 chronograph in steel with a fascinating backstory. The watch was ordered from Rolex by Pilot Officer Gerald A. D. Imeson of the RAF, while he was a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III. Imeson was involved in the efforts to escape from the prison that inspired the movie The Great Escape starring Steve McQueen and this was his watch.

There are numerous interesting elements to this watch and its history: the watch, Rolex's support of the Allies and offer of watches to British Prisoners of War, and the provenance of this watch on Imeson's wrist.

First, the watch itself. This particular style of early Rolex Oyster chronographs (Oyster was the designation for all Rolex waterproof watches) dating to the 1940s is called the "Monoblocco" or "one block," as the solid steel case including its bezel was made out of one solid piece of metal. Most cases at the time had a removable bezel piece. Two-tone steel and gold reference 3525 examples are also typically called Monoblocco chronographs, even though that is technically incorrect. Monobloccos are excellent little chronographs featuring Valjoux movements (typically the Valjoux 23) with a dedicated following in the Rolex collector community.

During World War II, many Swiss watch manufacturers did not discriminate when selling watches to the governments and militaries of the Axis and Allied powers. They were essentially hedging their bets and not making any sort of political stand. Rolex, however, was different. Although Hans Wilsdorf was German, he had spent much of his early life in Switzerland before moving to England when he was 24. The company made it explicit that it was selling watches to the Allies and in effect supporting the Allies. Just take a look at this 1943 advertisement:

From Jake's Rolex World

This Christmas 1944 advertisement is also remarkable:

From Jake's Rolex World

Wilsdorf was not only expecting an Allied victory, he wanted to show his support to British prisoners of war by providing them with the opportunity to purchase watches from him without requiring payment until the officers were back home and able to do so. The common story is that Wilsdorf believed British officers to be men of honor who would pay their debts. It is said that when Rolex began advertising this offer, word of it spread like wildfire through the British officer corps in POW camps. And the watch to have was a Rolex chronograph with a black dial and radium lume in the hands (and usually on the dial) for visibility at night.

Watches were one of the few luxuries that prisoners could have sent to
them while in POW camps. It is reported that most soldiers had
their watches taken when they became prisoners of war, so they had to
order new ones if they wanted one. The watches had the ability to be extremely helpful, even life-saving, should the soldiers escape the camp. Plus, the prisoners were in an extremely boring environment, and a watch could be a very welcome diversion. A number of companies including Aureole, Angelus, Cyma, Invicta, Movado, Mulco, Olma, Paul Buhré, Richard, Rodana, and Pierce advertised selling watches in the standard prisoner of war newspaper.

Stalag Luft III is most famous for being the place that inspired The Great Escape. Soldiers worked together to dig three tunnels (Tom, Dick, and Harry) with the goal of having 250 soldiers escape. The goal was to tie up Nazi resources in trying to re-capture the escaped prisoners. Only one tunnel ended up being viable (Harry) and the night of March 24, 1944, when there was a new moon, was chosen as the night to escape. Nearly 80 soldiers ended up escaping, however all but three were re-captured. In violation of the Geneva Convention, 50 were executed. At the end of the war, the Allies found the executioners and tried them for war crimes.

Imeson was involved in the effort as a "penguin," taking soil from the tunnel-digging and dispersing it through holes in his pockets when he was exercising. Imeson was set to be the 172nd person due to escape through the tunnel, but escape progress ended up being slower than planned for a number of reasons, including the tunnel not reaching the forest as the diggers had expected.

Imeson's story didn't end there, though, as he and other prisoners of war were forced on a "Long March" in January 1945 as the Soviets were closing in on Stalag III. Many perished along the way. Imeson ended up being liberated five months later in May 1945. He went on to pay his Rolex bill and enjoy wearing the watch for decades to come before passing away in 2003 at the age of 85.

This Rolex has a pre-sale estimate of £15,000 - £25,000. To bid, click here. For information on another Rolex Monoblocco ordered by a Prisoner of War in Stalag III who knew Imeson, see this article on TimeZone.